


An Act of Kindness

by zorradesombra (Chessgrins)



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-27
Updated: 2012-11-26
Packaged: 2017-11-19 16:09:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chessgrins/pseuds/zorradesombra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know the story where Edward leaves Bella 'for her own good.' What if it was the other way around? The Cullens are still vamps and Bella starts out as human. There might be some OOC behavior as characters progress on thier new paths. Rating is for later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Act

**Author's Note:**

> I really like the concept of badass Bella, for those of you who haven't read my other stories. This one was extra fun for me.
> 
> I do not own Twilight, I just play with the characters.

**BELLA**

 

            I can’t believe Edward made me go to the prom. Of course we hit upon the topic that I cannot back down from. I love Edward more than anything and we should be together for all eternity. I can’t stand the thought that he will be alone after I die…

            I don’t want to age either, now that I think about it. Edward would always remain the same. At some point people are going to think I’m a pedophile. Also, it might gross me out at some point too. That is assuming that he really stays with me. I know that he says he loves me, but I also realize that it does not really make sense that someone who embodies perfection would ever want to be with clumsy me. I need air, so I go for a walk…okay a hobble…in the bit of forest behind our yard. I go for a little ways and get so wrapped up in my thoughts I almost trip pn a root. Straightening up, I look off the path.

            Something catches my eye. I know Edward does not want me to be alone in these woods, but I can still see the trail to my house. I needed time to think and the house is getting boring. I walk towards what caught my attention. As I approach, I notice that whatever it is, it is covered in a pitch black cloak. Wait a second, the thing is breathing. Who wears a cape like that? I rush over. It turns out to be a girl. She looks to be about my age. Actually, she looks like she could be my sister. Sadly, there is blood all over her. I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think that she is going to last very long. For some reason, I can’t smell it. I don’t know why it doesn’t affect me.

            “I’m so very sorry, but there is no other choice,” she whispers, interrupting my musings.

            “Please just hold on, I’ll call a doctor,” I plead as I pull out my cell phone. She grabs my arm to stop me.

            “It’s very important…there’s not much time…” she starts to tell me something.

            “I can call a doctor who will be here in seconds,” I try to assure her.

            “It doesn’t matter, my time has come. Please just listen, I’m a reaper, as in grim. My powers will transfer to the closest person, which is you. I’m sorry, but your life is about to change completely. You will have a week to break ties, because after that the power will take over. After that point, you will sense those who are about to die and make sure their lives end. This is not limited to humans. You will have the power to drain existence out of anything you touch. The heightened senses and intelligence will go hand in hand with physical changes. You will only be able to speak to people who are about to die. All of your emotions will fade. I would not wish this curse on anyone, especially since it makes you stay young until another reaper comes for you. You will not die until that day. I have been a reaper for centuries. If you try to stay, you will drain the life out of those around you. There is not enough time to tell you everything, but you will learn soon enough. Please just break your ties and learn to live as a reaper,” she hurries to tell me. I know she is telling me the truth, I can feel it.

            “Hold on,” I beg her. Tears start streaming down my face as what she tells me sinks in. Vampires are real, so why would I think that there are no other immortal races.

            Despite my pleading and sobs, she fades away…literally. All the blood and her body just fade away, leaving the pitch black cloak. I grab it and hobble as fast as I can home. Why does it take so long to get there?

            When I finally make is back to my room I search for a place to hide the cloak. A week is all that I have, so I had better work fast. Tomorrow I’m just going to enjoy. It’ll be my last normal day. I find a loose floorboard in the back of my closet. I pry it up a bit and shove the cloak down in it. Forcing the board back into place, I think I hear something. Quickly I stand up and turn around. I know that if it was Edward that I would be moving so slow to him, but if it is Charlie, I have a shot of closing the door before he knocks. I do get the door closed and hop over to the dresser to grab my toiletry bag. I want to be ready for bed when Edward gets here. We’ve wasted too much time already. I shower and brush my teeth. I go about halfway down the stairs and yell goodnight to Charlie. He walks into my view and says good night too.

            By the time I get to my bedroom door, I know that Edward is here. He sweeps me up and brushes my door shut without slamming it. The girly part of me swoons a little at the fact that he feels the need to care for me. I let that part take hold because I don’t want to have drama now that we have such a short time limit. We lay on the bed, just cuddling for awhile.

            “You smell different,” he comments.

            “Okay…letting that slide…” I respond. What else could I say?

            “It’s weird, like your scent is fading a bit. I don’t know how to really describe it,” he tries to pull out a reasonable way for that to sound.

            He couldn’t suspect anything just because my scent is fading, could he? I guess that makes sense though. It would not bode well for whoever I am after to be able to tell that I am coming. Vampires are no exception. Scent is a powerful tool that they use. I just hope I can distract Edward enough to let tomorrow be free of suspicion.

            “Hey, you okay?” he asks me as he gently tugs at my chin until I look at him.

            “Yeah,” I answer.

            “You seem fairly preoccupied,” he comments. This is going to be harder than I thought. Why can’t the stupid vampire just let us have this time?


	2. Breaking Ties

**BELLA**

 

            Alice is going t be a problem. She is sticking to me rather tightly. Nothing has been said yet, but I can’t believe I didn’t think about this. Alice can see the future. She knows what is going to happen, she has to. The worry about that is definitely causing Jasper to take special notice. They all keep whispering quietly and quickly amongst themselves. Stupid vampires can’t even give me one day. As long as I can keep it more or less together, I can still make it through. All I have to do is keep quiet about what happened. Maybe Alice can’t see me anymore since I became a Reaper…I sure hope that is the case. Otherwise I will be in for quite a time. At least I get to spend time in their beautiful house.

            “Bella, is everything alright?” Carlisle makes a complete set by asking me that. I look around and realize that the others are not in sight. That does not mean they are out of hearing range too.

            “Yes, Carlisle, everything is fine. I’m fine. The answer will not change because every last vampire in this house has asked me that. If something were the matter, I would have told Edward when he asked me, though maybe not the first time. But I would have caved by the hundredth time,” I sigh. Really? Do they have nothing better to do than to interrogate me?

            “It’s just that you seem a little off today and we are simply concerned. We love you, you know,” he still looks like this is not over.

            “Honestly, and for the absolute last time, nothing is wrong. Now, everyone can stop asking,” I roll my eyes.

            Even though I had hoped that today would be great with the Cullen family, I guess I will have to just go home and make nice with Charlie before tomorrow when I have to make him never want to look for me. Okay, at least make him not stop me from leaving. It is getting a smidge late anyway. I stand and start for the door. Edward and Alice try to make me want to stay longer. I shrug into my coat. I will not be deterred. They had their chance and Charlie deserves some good before the ensuing bad.

            “Come on Bella, we just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Edward pleads while standing in front of the door.

            “Yeah, we promise to not ask anymore,” Alice whines.

            “Guys, it is getting a bit late. I want to spend some time with Charlie,” I respond to them both at once.

            “We are really, very sorry,” Edward tries once more.

            “I know. Are you taking me home or am I walking?” I ask.

            “You most certainly will not be walking,” he sounds a little offended that I would ask that. He can play that way. I’ll let it slide.

            After many more apologies, Edward finally gets me home. He leans towards me. I close the distance. Can you blame a girl? I mean, this is really the last chance I have to kiss this embodiment of perfection. The result is…well, brief…but still way amazing. I know that the Reaper I found said that my emotions will fade, but I kinda hope that this memory keeps its bittersweet feeling. Edward pushes me away and looks at me. His eyes are sad and that breaks my heart a bit. Leaving him will be so hard.

            “Bella, are you saying goodbye?” he asks me quietly.

            “Don’t be silly, Edward. If I were saying goodbye there would have been tongue,” I respond to throw him off a bit. I didn’t take into account that he is very observant and I used to think the same thing about him. I walk carefully to the door before taking one more look at Edward.

            Charlie is behaving no better. I’m just sitting here, reading, while he watches his game. Would a little togetherness kill anyone? I mean, seriously. I try to do something nice before I have to basically tell everyone off, and what do I get? This was going to be hard anyway. It’s not like I could have just left. My family would look for me. The Cullen family would exhaust their extensive funds and waste away their lives looking for me. I have to be a big girl now and break ties like an adult.

            I hate mornings, but I get up early enough to talk to Charlie. I don’t really want to waste time because I don’t know when the sucking his life force away thing will really start. I don’t want to take any of his life away. What if the Reaper meant that after a week those around me would be gone? No, I will just have to do this.

            “Dad, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” I start. How am I going to end though?

            “Sure, what is it?” he answers as he bustles around the kitchen.

            “I don’t want to be here anymore. I feel like my life is going nowhere,” I try to sound miserable. That is not really hard because I am miserable that I have to leave.

            “What are you talking about? I thought things were going better…” he trails off.

            “After I left last time, you just can’t seem to trust me anymore. I don’t want to have to always be explaining myself to you,” I lie.

            “But...” the poor guy is caught completely off guard.

            “No, Charlie, I want to leave and there is nothing that you can say or do that will stop me from walking out that door,” I state firmly.

            I get up and do just that. Charlie gapes at me as I walk out without anything. I don’t need anything. When I went to look for the cloak, it was gone. Maybe Edward found it while I was sleeping. Who knows? All that is left in this place is to say goodbye to the Cullen family and Edward. I know that I will hurt him, but it’s for his own good. I probably should have taken my truck though. Walking to their house is going to take _forever_ …no pun intended.

            It does not take very long before Alice’s car pulls up beside me. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, she can see the future and everything. Hmm, Edward is not in the car. This could be awkward. Sighing, I get into the car.

            “I can’t see you anymore,” she greets me.

            “Then how did you find me?” I ask, confused.

            “Well, I can see you today…sort of…but not after today. I don’t want Edward to worry,” she rushes to tell me.

            “…okay…” I wonder where she is headed. This whole not seeing me thing seems to have freaked her out a bit.


	3. DIdn't See That Coming

**BELLA**

 

            “Alice, I simply don’t know what to tell you,” I sigh.

            “Why can’t I see you?” she sounds really and truly panicked.

            “I don’t know,” I lie. She buys it though.

            Suddenly, an idea strikes me. I could ask Alice to deliver a message to Edward. No, he really deserves to hear it from me in person since I am breaking up with him. I can’t help but sulk a little. Alice notices that.

            “What’s wrong with you?” she asks.

            “I just have to talk to Edward and I am dreading it,” I answer honestly before I can stop myself.

            “Anything I can help you with? He might not freak out as badly if I am there too,” she tries to comfort me.

            “Actually, could you drop me here and tell Edward to meet me. I don’t want this to be a family affair,” I ask hopefully.

            “Of course,” Alice looks torn, but pulls over anyway.

            “Alice, you know that I love you like you are my own sister, right?” I ask before I open my door.

            “Of course, you know I feel the same way,” she casts a concerned look my way.

            “I just wanted to be sure that you understand that I would never do anything to put you in danger,” I say as I get out.

            “I know that,” she responds.

            “Goodbye, Alice,” this really is goodbye, even if she does not know it.

            “Bye Bella,” she seems really confused.

            After she peels onto the road again, I walk to the tree line and go into the woods. I find an overturned tree not too far in and sit to wait. Edward can find me. I feel a little funny though. The world around me seems a little off balance. I hear Edward’s approach. Alice must have called him the minute I closed the car door. Better get this over with.

            “Bella?” he sounds uncertain.

            “Hey,” I answer, even though I should have just gotten right down to it.

            “What’s the matter?” now he sounds freaked out.

            “Edward, I can’t do this anymore,” I can’t even look at him while I say this, so I look off into the woods.

            “Do what?” he’s holding his breathe. Well, he doesn’t need to breathe, but still.

            “I can’t be with you. I put you all in danger. What if another vampire comes around and wants to take a snap at me? I won’t ruin your lives,” it all comes out in a rush.

            “You put _us_ in danger?” Edward can’t seem to wrap his head around it. I have to convince him, there is not much time. Why would I say that? I have the rest of my week… don’t I?

            “Yes, Edward. I won’t do it anymore,” I am firm on this point. Even though he does not really know why I feel this way he needs to know that I am serious.

            “But, Bella… I thought…” he’s basically speechless. Who knew he could be rendered speechless anyway? The world starts to spin a bit, but I try to keep from rocking.

            “You thought we could be together? You thought wrong. I love you too much to be a danger to you or your family,” I make eye contact for that one. I won’t back down and Edward needs to see that resolve.

            “I don’t understand. You are concerned because you put us in danger, but we put you in grave danger every time we are around you. Bella, you aren’t making any sense,” he seems frustrated now.

            “Edward, I put you in just as much danger. James could have killed you,” I sigh.

            “He didn’t though,” he defends.

            “But he could have. There are others that could use me to hurt you and I won’t let that happen,” the lies hurt to say, but I can’t tell him the truth. He would try to fight for us to make it work. I won’t be responsible for his death. My hands start to shake. We need to wrap this up.

            “Bella what is happening?” he demands. Apparently I have not done a good enough job at hiding this sudden illness. Maybe it’s a warning sign that I should leave before I start to drain him.

            “We can’t be together Edward. You need to accept that. I love you, but I won’t be responsible for your death,” my head hurts and I give a bit too much away with that answer.

            “Tell me what is going on,” he sounds really scared.

            There is no answer coming. I can’t stop the swaying as the world twists itself around me. My breathing becomes shallow and I’m glad that I am sitting. My stomach does all sorts of flips. I have to get away from Edward and I have to do it now. I can’t ignore the urgency that flows through my veins. I try to get up. I stumble a few paces before the dizziness and nausea bring me to my knees. I faintly hear Edward calling out to me. He tries to grab me, but I shove his hands away with surprising strength. He tries again and I push him with all this new strength and he flies into a tree several feet away. Then the pain starts. I can’t even cry out, it hurts so badly. My mouth still opens in an attempt to purge it. Colors start to blend and the woods around me start to melt away.

            Just as quickly as it came, the illness leaves. The pain, dizziness, nausea, and everything is just gone. I look down to see my skin paler. I’m wearing a black cloak like the one I hid. I notice my surroundings. I’m still in a forest, just a different one. Edward is nowhere to be seen. I know that I am in Germany, but I have never been here. I smell something weird. I follow a path a bit in a direction that I somehow know is right. I get there in time to see an old man hiking. Realization strikes. I have changed and it is that poor man’s time to die. I didn’t know reapers could transport themselves. What the hell? I though I had a week?!


	4. Panic

**ALICE**

            Bella went from very clear to fuzzy to nonexistent in my visions. All that happened in two days. How is that even possible? I am trying not to panic. Edward is crushed and a shell of himself in any vision I have of him. There is no way I can tell Edward or even let him hear me think about it. This is going to be hard… I have to find out what happened and I have to find that out now. Oh, where is Carlisle?

 

**EDWARD**

            I don’t know what to do. Is she even serious? What could she have possibly meant by saying that she puts us in danger? Most certainly she is mistaken. We put her in grave danger. Bella has lost her mind. I start to chase after her, but her scent grows fainter and fainter until it just vanishes into thin air. Her scent has been less overpowering over the last two days. This whole thing is confusing and more than a little worrisome. I need guidance. The very best place to find helpful guidance is Carlisle.

 

**CARLISLE**

            Alice bursts into my office unexpectedly. She rushes through her story. Bella has been behaving unusually for her. That and the fact that Alice can no longer see her is a puzzle. Alice doe not lose someone instantaneously. At least she should not lose someone instantaneously. Her worried look might mirror my own.

            “Don’t worry Alice. We will get to the bottom of this. Just wait  and we’ll discuss this with the family,” I start to reassure her.

            “We can’t let Edward know! He will completely over-react,” Alice interrupts.

            “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you might be over-reacting a bit,” I inform her.

            Alice takes a deep, though completely unnecessary breathe to calm herself. It’s a good thing that everyone else is out hunting or they would all be in here and the situation would digress into chaos. I work to convince her that the family should know so that we all can keep an eye on our human friend. She very reluctantly agrees…eventually. We both hear a vampire approach and quickly tell that it’s Edward. Alice looks out the window in my study and then turn to face me with big, worried eyes.

 

**EDWARD**

            I stagger towards the house. I am too broken from Bella’s announcement and disappearance to run or even walk normally. I look up to the window of Carlisle’s study. I honestly don’t know how I got here. The whole trip is fuzzy in my usually excellent memory. How could she leave me? Why would she disappear at all? I notice that Alice is looking out of Carlisle’s window and her mental voice can’t be stopped. _He looks so awful now, what will happen when we tell him that I cannot see Bella in any vision no matter how hard I try?_

            The words echo in my head a bit before they actually register. Wait a minute. What did she say? She can’t see Bella? The whole statement feels like a riddle. Carlisle thoughts mirror Alice’s but they have a little more father concern added to them. I can see myself through both of their eyes and I look like a mess. No, I look like a broken man. But even as I am thinking about it I start to walk straighter and with more determination. I simply will not, accept the fact that Bella would say what she did and then vanish if she had any kind of choice in the matter. I _cannot_ believe that she really meant it. There has to be something terribly wrong.

 

**EMMETT**

            When Jasper, Rose, Esme and I get back from our brief hunting trip, the others are waiting for us in the dinning room. This cannot be good. Jasper goes straight to his wife as even I can tell she is very worried about something. Edward looks fierce, almost inhuman really. Esme rests a reassuring hand on Carlisle’s should and he gives her a weak smile. Yup, something is going on and it is not good. Based on Edward’s demeanor, I’m going to guess that it has to do with Bella.

            My guess turns out to be right on the money when the whole story is told. Even Rose can’t hide her curiosity and concern. I know she’s been a bit of a bitch to Bella, but she really does have a soft spot for the girl. We all do, if we are really honest. The conversation is a little tense.

            “I don’t see the problem exactly. Weren’t you feeling very guilty about dating her and bringing her into our world anyway? It seemed like it was only a matter of time before you would leave her,” Jasper interjects quietly.

            “Jasper,” Alice gasps.

            “Hey, at least he said it. That sucker was the elephant in the room,” I defend his judgment.

            “We were all tiptoeing around it,” Rose agrees with me.

            That launches several attempts by Edward to convince us that we are wrong and just need to focus on the problem of her disappearing. After a few skeptical looks though, he backs down and admits the truth in what Jasper said. Then we all have to decide whether or not we want to go after her.

            “How do we know she even wants someone to go looking for her?” I interrupt Edward and Rose bickering about whether or not it concerned the whole family.

            “As much as I hate to say it, that is a very valid concern,” Esme responds.

            “How can you even say that?! She was not herself,” Edward pretty much explodes all over us.

            “Hey now, there’s no need for that” I stand my ground.

            “Who can blame her for wanting to be rid of you anyway?” Rose snorts.

            “Now, now. Please, no fighting,” Esme pleads.

            “This arguing does not solve the problem at hand. Bella has risked her life for us before. Can we really walk away from her?” Alice sounds a little frustrated and more than a little desperate.

            “If it wasn’t for her, there would not have been that situation with James to begin with,” Rose sneers.

            “You don’t mean that, babe,” I say confidently. Rose just rolls her eyes, but she does not contradict me. I knew she had a soft spot for Bella.


	5. Passage of Time

**BELLA**

            Time has really lost meaning for me since I became a Reaper. It hasn’t really been that long though, but I just don’t seem to care anymore. I go from place to place meeting people and dealing in death. Someone has to do it, I guess. It seems like there is something I should be remembering, but again I can’t bring myself to care. There’s this slight tugging on the edge of my mind. It’s like I can remember this powerful feeling without still feeling it. I think that I miss it, but caring is simply not a part of my being anymore at all. Believe it or not, after my first duty was done, a manual appeared in front of me. Apparently there are guidelines to dealing people their deaths. Who knew? It’s all very odd, really. According to the book, the reason that I turned so quickly was because I have renegade Reaper blood. I can’t really imagine either of my parents as Reapers, let alone Reapers that turned away from Death and are in hiding. Immortals fighting their nature? Why does that sound so familiar? Humans don’t interact with immortals really, do they?

            I met Death not too long after the book appeared before me. Sure, he was a bit ominous, but all in all, he’s not so bad. He knows which one of my parents is the Reaper on the run, but he won’t tell me. Something about ‘needing to discover my heritage for myself’ or some such drivel was his excuse for not telling me. Oh well, I guess I’ll find out eventually. Maybe I won’t though, because I’m finding it harder and harder to actually remember my parents. My mortal life is fading from my existence. One day, even that stupid little tug will be gone. The Reaper in me will be the only me left. Should that make me feel sad? I don’t really know how to feel about anything anymore, not that it matters really.

 

**EDWARD**

            Where could she have gone? It’s been six months. Charlie was crushed when we got there. He refuses to talk about it, but seems intent on blaming me. Renee called while we were there. She took the news unusually well. I would not have pegged her for a take it in stride kind of woman about her daughter’s disappearance. She must have expected that Bella would turn up at her doorstep the next day. But Bella did not turn up the next day. Charlie does not know what to do with himself. Esme takes it upon herself to at least make sure he eats and gets some sleep. I understand Charlie’s pain. I feel it too. Only my pain serves to motivate me to find my love.

            I don’t care what my family thinks about it, I am going to find Bella. She is a human and I am a vampire, it should not be this hard. And yet, it is proving to be the most difficult thing I have ever done. How is this whole thing even possible? Bella is human. I should be able to find her.

            “You look annoyed,” Alice comments as she sits down beside me in the tree.

            “I don’t know why we can’t find her,” I sigh.

            “Jasper still does not understand why you are even looking. He has a point, you know. I thought you were planning on breaking up with her. I mean, you are always telling her goodbye,” she does not even look at me while she rushes through that.

            “I love her,” I answer simply.

            “Love her so much that you wanted to take her opinion out of the equation,” Alice snorts.

            “What are you even talking about?” I can’t keep up with Alice sometimes.

            “You wanted to break up with her, but not talk to her about it,” she almost sneers at those words.

            “It would have been for her own good,” I defend myself.

            “She’s a big girl, Edward. If anyone would know what is in her best interest it would be her,” Rose actually sneers as she walks up.

            “What are you doing here? I didn’t even think you liked Bella,” I huff at her. Isn’t it bad enough when just Alice was angry with me?

            “I don’t like how flippant she is about her mortality. Actually, I’m quite fond of the girls herself,” Rose dismisses my statement.

            “You forgot that you didn’t like the fact that Edward gave her a chance, when he dismissed you so completely,” Alice smirks.

            “Whatever, Alice. Now Edward, come on,” Rose expertly directs the line of conversation right back to me. How kind of her.

            “I was looking out for her best interests,” I say with a little bite to my tone.

            “Get over yourself,” Rose matches my tone.

            “Yeah, Bella should have been privy to your decision making process, if not an actual party in it,” Alice agrees with Rose.

            Emmett and Jasper come by and ask about going hunting. I stay behind to mull over the conversation. They might have a point. Was I being patronizing by not talking with Bella about maybe leaving her? How did Jasper even call me on that thought process? The more that I think about it, the more I am convinced that I was wrong. Bella is not a child and yet I had treated her like one. She is more delicate than vampires because she is a human. But that really just means that I should be careful, not that she is breakable and defenseless. Sure vampires are immortal predators, but that does not mean that we really know better than a person what is in their best interest.

            This new revelation leaves me reeling. How could I have been so stupid? I need to find Bella even more now. Not because I want to protect her from my world, but because I really do love her and need to come clean about my foolish opinions. Where can I even look? I will find you, Bella, even if it takes the rest of eternity. I will find you.


	6. Messenger of Death

**EDWARD**

            It’s been well over a century since Bella walked out of my life. I’d be lying if I said that I was not obsessive about her now. My family supports me, even Rose. I have not stopped scouring the globe for a hint about where my Bella might be. It feels like I just miss her wherever I go. There is nothing that I can do to make myself arrive just a little bit earlier. I don’t know what I’ll find if I do manage to get somewhere faster, but the idea of what could be there is almost as maddening as the puzzle of where my love went and why I can’t seem to find her. No one seems to think that she is dead, despite the fact that she was human when we knew her. There would be a record somewhere of her death if she had met her fate.

            Anyway, today is a function that I cannot get out of to continue my possibly deranged hunt for Bella. The Volturi, with their usual impeccable timing, has called for an audience with my family. Carlisle needs me to go, so I will. But I will not like it. Okay, I don’t really know of anyone that likes audiences with the Volturi. We have to endure the ‘thrill’ every so often because of Carlisle’s previous friendship with them and our current odd eating patterns. They still find us a novelty because we choose to feed on animals and not on humans. You would think they would get over it for as long as Carlisle has been committed to the philosophy. Oh well, I’m dutifully present and that is really all anyone can expect from me.

            Aro starts with his usual blather about how long it’s been since we’ve been here and how remiss we are in our communications with them…blah, blah, blah… Carlisle is his usual, peacemaking self with his responses. It’s all that I can do to hold in my eye rolls and keep my bad mood to myself. Of course, the focus soon shifts to me as the idiot makes one more play for my alliance with them, like I would want to do that of my own free will. Both Alice and Jasper are soon drawn into the vain attempt to sway us into joining the Elite Guard. Will this ever end?

            “Can you feel Death asking for you, Aro?” an eerily familiar voice interrupts my internal monologue. Suddenly everyone’s attention turns to the source of the question. There she stands, my Bella, in this very room.

            “What kind of question is that?” Caius bites out in his usual fury.

            “I would not want to draw my attention to you if our positions were reversed,” Bella’s tone has authority and carries a very real threat. Caius seems to shrink under her piercing glare.

            “My dear, how wonderful it is to see you again,” Aro greets Bella. What. The. Hell. How does he know her? More importantly, why does every member of the retched Volturi have the same terrified tone to their thoughts?

            “Is it really? Have you been waiting to meet your end?” Bella responds wryly.

            “Is this not a purely social visit then?” Aro still thinks that he might have the upper hand. What he does not know is that not a simple vampire that has sworn loyalty to him is willing to get anywhere near Bella.

            “It is not,” Bella answers with a very dangerous grin. Suddenly chills go down my spine. Besides my family, every other vampire seems rooted to the spot in fear. We don’t know what to make of this.

            “So, you want me dead,” Aro seems to have caught on a little to the fact that no one will help him.

            “Don’t be absurd, Aro. _I_ certainly don’t want you dead. Death does. I am merely his messenger, sent to do his bidding,” Bella’s grin turns more and more like a predator who knows they have their prey.

            “Vampires are immortal,” Aro tries to argue, though his pitch is getting higher as his panic starts to take over.

            “No, they just live longer,” Bella’s statement is final, ending the conversation as if it suddenly bored her.

            Aro shrinks back, unable to hide his fear. Bella seems to become a cloud that moves more quickly than I can see. She forms herself back again right in front of Aro. My family leans closer for a better view. Aro whimpers and tries to beg for more time. Bella dismisses his pleas in silence. Her arm shoots out and her hand grips the arm that Aro threw up in some kind of attempt to protect himself. It looks like his veins rush his very life to her. They bulge out and then seem to get sucked back under his skin, but you can still see where they are sort of flowing. His mouth opens in a silent cry of pain as he is drained. Bella uses her other hand to draw a special kind of knife. I’ve never seen the material that it is made of before. She uses the knife to slit Aro’s throat to the spine. Suddenly, the blood from his last meals comes rushing out of Aro’s throat and spins to create a ring around Bella. She sheathes the knife and opens one side of her black cloak. The blood flows into the container on her belt seemingly of it’s own accord. She puts a top on the bottle and lets her cloak slide back into place.

            Every vampire in the room can’t seem to break out of the trance of watching this event. I didn’t even feel the urge to drink the blood. No one did, it would appear. Bella turns her attention back to the now speechless Caius. He can’t even bring himself to back away. My instincts are telling me to run, but my body refuses to heed their calling. Bella leans in to tell Caius something. We all can hear what she says and she seems to know it.

            “Don’t get too comfortable in your new position, my dear. One never knows how much time one has before Death asks for them and they get a visit from a messenger like me,” she whispers in a deadly tone.

            Caius manages to nod. Bella turns to leave. Her glance ever so briefly flits over to my family and then me. She moves on out the door without any kind of recognition of our presence. In fact, it was like she looked right through us without really seeing that we were there.


	7. Nuisance

**BELLA**

            THAT STUPID EDWARD!! Can’t he leave well enough alone? Wow, that is a lot of emotion. Anger, verging on hatred come bubbling up the surface and threaten to control my reactions. Suddenly, my life in Forks comes rushing back to me. Nothing else from my human life remains or wants to be remembered. How is it that one vampire can change the make-up of a Reaper? At least I managed to only briefly glance their way. That whole clan is a bad omen. They should have just accepted that I was gone and let it go at that. At least then they would be protected from what I am.

            I can’t believe that I forgot about them. My nature as a Reaper seems to have taken over most of my being. I can’t forgive their intrusion. Now they will search for me even more fervently. I know that they have been looking for me, but I had hoped they would call it quits by now. At least they got to see the show. Maybe that will give them incentive to stay away. Who am I kidding? Edward will never stop.

           

 

**EDWARD**

            “That. Was. _Awesome_ ,” Emmett announces the minute we manage to get out of the Volturi’s castle.

            “What is she now?” Alice wonders out loud.

            “Maybe she knew she was going to change when she left,” Carlisle gently adds that idea to the running list I have going in my head.

            The others lapse into silence. No one else has mentioned that little bit. Usually they just refer to it as the day that Bella disappeared. Not even Rose has really avoided implying that Bella left me. She did leave me, of course. I know that. My family knows that. It’s just that we sort of have an unspoken agreement…at least until now. Carlisle has made a valid point though. Bella did say that she was the dangerous one in the relationship. The more I consider that day, the more I am convinced that she did know.

            “Why wouldn’t she tell me?” I ask out loud.

            “You don’t really take things like that very well, I’m afraid,” Esme gives my shoulder a squeeze.

            “Yeah, you take a lot more credit for her well-being than what you should,” Alice smugly sides with Carlisle and Esme.

            “You are way off base,” I lamely try to defend myself.

            “Puh-lease, can you even hear yourself or is all you get a roaring sound in your head?” Rosalie snorts as she tosses her hair over her shoulder.

            “Dude, you really have a hero complex when it comes to Bella. I don’t know why she put up with that. Just look at her now though. If you try that shit with her now, she will bring the pain,” Emmett is clearly amused with this turn of events.

            “The question is, what is she now? If we could figure that out, we might be able to anticipate where she will go and then we can try and talk to her,” Jasper’s military mind has once again gone straight to the strategy necessary for dealing with the situation.

            “Clearly she is no longer human, but she’s not a vampire either,” Alice starts the plan session off.

            “I don’t know of any other kind of immortal. That is not to say that there aren’t any, I just don’t know of them,” Carlisle adds his input.

            “She said she was Death’s messenger or something,” Rose reluctantly contributes.

            “Bella did talk about Death like it is a proper noun,” Esme says.

            “Is Death a real person?” Alice asks the question that we all are thinking.

            “That is a definite possibility,” Carlisle answers her.

            “If it is true, what would that make Bella? Does she hunt down those whose time has come and kill them?” I can’t help but throw that out there. It’s like word vomit.

            “What’s the deal with the thing she did with the blood?” Emmett is like a kid in a candy store with this. If he didn’t have Rose, I would be concerned that he would try for Bella.

            “It didn’t smell at all,” Rose sounds a little confused about that part despite her effort at indifference.

            “We’ll just have to ask her about that one,” Carlisle really believes that we will see her again.

            “How can you be so confident that we will get the chance to see her again, let alone ask her that?” I know I sound whiney and pathetic, but I can’t help myself.

            “Because she said that she would be back when it was Caius’s turn to die, of course,” Alice says that like I’m an idiot. She might be right about that though.

            “What do you propose exactly? Do you want us to hang around the Volturi until that happens?” Emmett is the picture of tack, as always.

            “That might not be a bad idea, actually,” Jasper says exactly what I don’t want him to.

 

**BELLA**

            There is a danger that he will make connections with what I said to Aro. If not Edward, then Carlisle will certainly be able to connect some dots. This could bode ill. What if they can somehow manage to show up at just the right place at just the right time again? That could get awkward. What if he still wants to try and work things out? That could be…I’m not sure what that would be exactly. It could be a good thing. It could be a completely awful thing. Wait, am I feeling? I thought those things faded.

            This is really an instance where I could use a little guidance. Death is occasionally helpful, but I really could use a more solid guide through this odd experience. If one of my parents is a Reaper, then they would be a good choice. Which one is it, I wonder?  It would be very helpful if they would show up every so often. I’m thinking it has to be Renee. She has moved around a lot. Charlie basically just stayed in Forks. People would have noticed if he had disappeared as often as I do. Wouldn’t they? Come to think of it, he could be gone all day and no one would think that was odd. Renee could have just liked moving. I’m not entirely sure how she spent most of her days though. We were never in dire straights. Death certainly pays me very well. Really it could be either…

            “You look like you could use some advice,” comes a voice from the doorway. I look up at the answer to my question.


	8. Heart to Heart

**BELLA**

            “Charlie?” I don’t know why I am surprised. Was I not just thinking about whether he or Renee was the Reaper?

            “Yeah, Bells, it’s me,” my dad responds in his own typical way. It’s like he was telling me that he left me a message on my phone, not that he was secretly an immortal hiding out from Death himself.

            “Why didn’t you tell me?” there is a slight note of sadness in my voice. Where did that come from?

            “Why didn’t you tell me that the Cullen family was really a coven of vampires?” he asks his own question in place of answering mine.

            “You provide a valid point. I thought you would freak out,” I respond.

            “Your mother left me when I told her the truth,” is his simple response.

            “I’m sorry,” is all I can manage. That possibility simply had not occurred to me before he spelled it out. It really tears me up…well…tears me up as much as anything can. Oddly enough, that is more and more since I saw those stupid vampires.

            “It’s not your fault,” Charlie shrugs off my sentiment like I knew that he would.

            “You seem sad though,” I press onward into one of the issues that need discussed.

            “Just because you become a Reaper, does not mean that you have to leave your humanity behind. If you have something or someone that meant a lot to you, they become a sort of root for you. If you ever see that root again, regardless of how many years have passed, your humanity will return to you. Don’t think otherwise, it will all come back to you whether you want it to or not,” Charlie finishes what might be the longest dissertation I have ever heard him give.

            “So, I really cared about the Cullen family. When I saw them, I started to feel again and my memories with them came back,” I can’t help but feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick with this.

            “I’m afraid so,” that’s Charlie. He’s a real chatterbox.

            “I thought I had to leave,” I say in response to his unasked question.

            “I figured that it was something along those lines. But you should know that things are going to be different for you than they are with other Reapers,” my dad tells me this like I might not understand at least.

            “I figured that out when I changed in a couple of days instead of a week, Dad,” I roll my eyes in a very human gesture.

            “Well, you aren’t a first generation Reaper. In fact, you are quite the legacy. That does not happen often at all. You are the only one. The genes for being a Reaper are passed on in a recessive way. You have the accumulated genes of ten full generations. The reason for the rarity of your position is it is impossible to guess who will be near a Reaper in the place they choose to die,” Charlie carefully explains to me.

            “The odds are against nine generations of one family being in the so-called right place and right time thing,” I interrupt him. I guess some of my old habits are coming back.

            “That’s putting it lightly. You would not have drained anyone around you because of your lineage though. If you are not the first generation, that trait is lost because you Reapers tend to not like killing each other. Death would have you believe that each and every Reaper is really only a killing machine,” my dad’s tone says there’s more to this feud with Death than what I was led to believe.

            “You went underground because of me, didn’t you?” I have to ask.

            “I loved your mother. She was my root to my humanity. I still fulfilled my responsibilities as a Reaper. When you were born, I didn’t want Death to interfere with your childhood the way he had with mine. I couldn’t quit being a Reaper because it was my nature by that time. I only go after those who have lived long lives and are so ill that they wish for Death. Apparently that is the fate of rogue Reapers,” he told me calmly.

            “Why would you stay in Forks all those years? If you were hiding from Death, I would think that you would move around a lot,” I comment.

            “I figured Death would expect that and keep a closer watch on those few that move around enough to be a rogue Reaper. I bet he didn’t tell you, but Death hates small towns with a violent, fervent passion. He can only bring himself to be in big cities like Hong Kong,” Charlie discloses that little tidbit.

            “Come to think of it, he only asks me to meet him in New York or Los Angeles. Once in Chicago, I think,” I add my own information.

            “Only once in Chicago? That might be his favorite city in the world. It has a lot of problems. Death feeds off of the anger in an area. Political machines and gangs have a big draw with the anger that flows so easily from them,” he continues thinking out loud. He’s probably doing that for my benefit as I am learning a lot in this little heart to heart we are having.

            We lapse into silence as both of our trains of thought take their own courses. Charlie is a Reaper. He is a rogue Reaper to be exact. I know that Death will not hear about anything that is transpiring between Charlie and me because he is hunting Charlie. Besides, this is family business. Charlie is a new source of information. Truth be told, I’m not that crazy about Death. He hardly ever shows up when you really need him to, but will surprise you with a visit when it is least convenient for you. If I won’t drain those around me of their life force, then maybe I could find a way to live with Edward. I push that thought to the back of my mind to consider it later.


	9. Simple Choices

**EDWARD**

            Okay, we have been spending time with the Volturi for months now. Where exactly is she? These vampires drive each other crazy and that is with the help of Chelsea bonding them all together. I don’t think I can take any more pleading from Caius. He seems to think that we are here to help protect him. Carlisle has discussed the matter with him, leaving out our involvement with Bella of course. The story that we are feeding them is that we are curious about the so called messenger for Death and want to see her again.

            Marcus seems to want to leave, but he has been that way since his poor wife was murdered by Aro, her own brother. He tells us everything that he knows about the situation. Death is a real immortal. He uses Reapers to catch up with most of those whose time has come. Only those whose time has come and other immortals can see the Reapers in their supernatural state. Any time that they are not on duty, if you will, they appear to be normal humans. Only immortals can truly see them for what they are at any time. Reapers can only be killed by other Reapers. Other than that, only Death and the Reapers know what is going on. Why does Death have a hold over them at all? How does one become a Reaper? Did Bella have a choice at all?

            The thing to remember is that I love her. I know that she loves me, despite the callous way she barely noticed us. There is something going on, but I just can’t figure out what it is. Carlisle has talked and talked with me. I need to decide if I want to pursue seeing Bella again. She could have changed beyond my ability to call her back to us. She might really not want to see me or my family ever again. Can I accept her as the Reaper she has become? I don’t really know if I can do that. All I do know for sure is that I have to try.

 

**BELLA**

            Well, Charlie has been staying with me for a few months. Death is none the wiser, though he is getting pretty annoying. It seems that he thinks I know something new about Charlie and is trying every way he knows how to get me to tell him. I like my privacy, and the fact that he keeps invading it time and time again, is really starting to annoy. He just needs to get over himself. This whole ‘everyone meets Death’ thing has apparently gone to his head. He does not, in fact, need to know everything. No wonder Charlie never went back to the idiot. Now there’s a thought. Would I be willing to live the kind of life required to become a rogue Reaper? I could always follow Charlie’s lead.

            “Have you been completely good while you are AWOL?” I suddenly ask my father.

            “If you mean to ask me if I have killed anyone, then the answer is yes. I was not always where I told you I would be,” he answers me a little gruffly.

            “Did you even fish?” is all I can think about after his comment.

            “Of course, I love fishing with the guys. Some of those late nights or early mornings were because I had to run errands,” he says that like he thinks it is the end of that. Think again, father of mine.

            “I need a little more detail, if you don’t mind. Well, I want it whether you mind or not,” I glare at him a little.

            “I suppose you deserve the truth. You should know that being a Reaper means that you have to take lives, regardless of your feelings on the matter. If you don’t go to those whose time is up, then you start to suck the lives out of those around you no matter if you are a first generation Reaper or a 100th generation Reaper. It is part of who you are now Bells. You need to accept it,” he is being gentler about this than I would have thought he would be.

            “Well, it would be nice to see the end of the Volturi, but I don’t get how you still follow your instincts about people at the end and Death has yet to find you,” the confusion I feel is mirrored in my tone.

            “You should know him better than that by now. He can’t see the forest for the trees. There are so many Reapers that he simply does not have the ability, or the desire to see the bigger picture. Each Reaper that he can keep an eye on means one less Rogue he might be able to find. It’s not like there is a sign in for souls where they put down the name of the Reaper that sent them into the afterlife,” Charlie chuckles a little at his own analogy.

            Charlie has a valid point. It might not be so bad. I am actually considering becoming a rogue Reaper. Something must be wrong with me…either that, or something is finally right with me. I hate working for Death now that the whole apathy thing is clearing up. This whole job might just be sucking the life out of me. How’s that for poetic justice? I have to be honest with myself and ask the hard questions. Do I really and truly want to leave Death’s work force? Can I handle the strain of avoiding the idiot? I know that I can do this. I really don’t want to stay in this place in my life…afterlife…existence…whatever it is. What would this mean for Edward? Would I be able to be with him again? I want to be with him again. Is it right for me to put him in so much danger? I don’t know. I would never be able to live with myself is something happened to any of the vampires in the Cullen family. It’s best for them if I just stay away. My humanity is what brings me back to them and it is apparently the force that makes me stay away for their own good. Who would have thought?


	10. Another Sighting

**EDWARD**

            …years…so very many years…I can’t believe that so many years have passed since I last saw Bella. Love, where are you? We have been sitting with the remnants of the Volturi. Some weird guy came around for awhile. He was some kind of immortal and he completely scared the Volturi shitless, but he was not a vampire. Carlisle seemed a little baffled by the reaction to him. Even now, much later, there is no explanation about him. He seemed to be looking for someone. I could not read his thoughts. I wonder if it is for the same reason that I cannot read Bella’s mind. Not sure what that reason is, but I also cannot read Charlie’s thoughts. This leads me to believe that there is a common factor. I wish Bella was here, so that I could ask her.

 

**BELLA**

            Okay, I realize now that I gave Death way too much credit while I was actively working for him. It has been over a century, and he has yet to make an appearance. He hovered around the Volturi for a couple of decades, but that was basically it. Charlie and I even get to spend some time together. Our relationship has really changed now that I know all about him. There is only one down side to this whole underground thing. I feel the need to go back and finish the job I started with the Volturi.

            “Hey, Bells, want me to go with you?” Charlie asks out of the blue.

            “Where?” I am thrown off because I have not mentioned this itch, if you will, to my father.

            “I had started a job when I went rogue too, you know. You will have to finish it or it will bug you for the rest of your existence, getting progressively worse the more you try and ignore it,” Charlie seems to have read my mood.

            “Will Death be waiting for me?” the thought does bother me a bit. I’m not sure I could really take Death in a fight, and mark my words it would most definitely come to that.

            “He was not there when I did. He seems to have given up on you too because he left the Volturi,” my father comments.

            “I think I want to handle this one on my own,” I decide.

            “Okay then. I have to be heading on out now. See you in a while,” Charlie bids me goodbye in his own special way.

            I need to check up on where Death is exactly, but I think that this might be my time to take care of that particular loose end. Then I can move on with my life…and what? I’m not sure how to answer that. Every time that I think about my future, my heart hurts for want of having Edward in it. But, I left him to save him. I have to remind myself of that every so often. I just can’t get past the question that haunts me. Is life worth living without love?

 

**EDWARD**

            My family is still very supportive, but our patience with Caius is wearing thin. I have to leave here soon or I will face the consequences for ripping his face off.  I think that I can only stand it a little longer. I’ve been waiting for over a century and now I can only bear to be here maybe one more week. Please let me see her before that.

            “Oh my,” Esme’s gasp interrupts my thoughts and grabs my whole family’s attention.

            Outside our window is a vision. Bella is approaching the front door like she owns the place. We rush into the audience chamber to see how things unfold. The Elite Guard are scattering like their very existence depends on it…well, okay, maybe it does. Finally, I am at the door. I open it and…

            “Well, well, Caius. Are you not even going to attempt to escape or plead your case?” acid is oozing off of Bella’s words.

            “You have no power over my existence,” even Emmett is shaking his head at the fear that is quite evident in Caius’ voice.

            “Don’t I?” she takes a step towards Caius and time seems to slow down.

            Caius cowers, like Aro did before. Bella reaches out a hand, but Caius chooses to try and make a run for it. She smiles like she was hoping he would make this fun by running. Bella fades into that cloud like thing again and appears solid right in front of the fleeing vampire. There is power emanating from her as she surges forward and grabs Caius by his throat. Caught completely off guard, he offers a surprised whimper. Bella uses her momentum to lift her prey off the ground and slam his back on the floor so hard that the cracks in the stone reach all the way to the hallways leading out of the chamber. Caius is struggling to try and free himself, but it’s like his veins are carrying everything to where Bella’s hand is gripping him. Once more she uses her other hand to grab a dagger. The small cut is made and all the blood that was in Caius’ body comes rushing out. Once the last drop leaves, it’s like Caius ages incredibly fast. He turns to dust before our eyes. Bella somehow makes the blood go into a container at her hip.

            Everyone that is left in the room panics and makes their way out, shoving each other out of the way when they think it is necessary. I feel frozen.

            “Bella, wait!” Alice calls out. Bella stands and turns to face us.

            “This could be troublesome,” she comments as she rests her hands on her hips and cocks an eyebrow at us.

            “What are you?” is all that I can stammer out. Great, Edward. That’s the first thing you want to say? Really?

            “Who cares? Did you just see that? And that time with Aro? Bella is AWESOME!” Emmett bellows out. Bella smiles at him and roles her eyes.


	11. ...maybe...

**BELLA**

            I really missed Emmett and all his glory. Who else would just burst out of the seams like that? I can’t help but roll my eyes at his antics.

            “What do you mean?” Alice interrupts Emmett’s happy dance.

            “It is not the safest thing in the world to be associated with me,” I explain as little as I can get away with. Now is my chance, if I really want to leave. I turn to start towards the door.

            “Please don’t leave yet,” Alice pleads. I always had problems saying no to Alice. Before I thought it was a little of Jasper’s doing, but he can’t affect me now. I must just have a soft spot for her. I turn back to face her.

            “Perhaps we should move this to another location,” Carlisle suggests. He is very observant.

            “That might be a good idea,” I agree. No need to draw Death to me by lingering.

            “I’m going with Bella, to make sure that she sticks around,” Alice says as she comes over to me and grabs my hand. Edward still looks stunned.

            “Where are we going?” Emmett suddenly asks.

            “I have a place that we can go,” I answer. Won’t Charlie be surprised when he sees who is with me? It would be worth it, just to see the look on his face.

            We all make our way to the house that I am sharing with Charlie in Volterra. Edward seems to have come out of his speechless with surprise stint and is holding my right hand while Alice stays firmly attached to my left. If they really had any say in whether or not I stayed with them, I would not be going anywhere. The rest of the Cullen family is not far behind us. I get the use of both hands, miraculously, when we get to the door.

            “Hey Charlie, we have company,” I call out as I enter the foyer.

            “Charlie? Surely you don’t mean the Chief,” Esme voices the question that I know they are all thinking.

            “One and the same,” Charlie says as we go in to the living room.

            “Can we possibly get a few answers?” Rosalie sneers out of confusion.

            “I’m heading out now,” Charlie announces.

            “See you in a few days then. Travel safely,” I respond. He heads out the door as the Cullen family gapes after him.

            “What are you?” Edward repeats himself then looks ashamed that that is the only thing that he has said to me so far.

            “I’m a Reaper and so is Charlie. We meet people at their end. Their dying calls to us and we know where to go,” I explain a little more now.

            “You said you were a messenger of Death when you took care of Aro,” Jasper comments.

            “At the time, I was. I no longer work for him though. We had a difference of opinion and he is an idiot,” no need to go into the politics of the situation.

            “Is it a genetic thing then?” Carlisle asks the question I figured he would.

            “Being a Reaper is not genetic. When a reaper is dying, they pass on their powers to the first person that they come into contact with. It just so happens that both Charlie and I were the first to come across Reapers at their end. It’s very unusual for more than one generation to be a Reaper” I answer truthfully, but omit about my special status as a multiple generation Reaper. I don’t know why, but that seems like it should stay quiet. Charlie didn’t tell Death of his parent being a Reaper. If he knew, that would only make him hunt harder for me. Saying it out loud is not worth the risk of being overheard, even in my own house.

            “So a Reaper can die,” Alice seems surprised by that.

            “A Reaper can only die at the hands of another Reaper,” I tell her.

            “Did it hurt when the powers transferred to you?” Esme is so kind to ask.

            “Not really, the painful part was leaving behind my life. I was told that I had a week to tie up loose ends before my ability to drain life would affect all those around me. But, because I am not the first Reaper in my family, the affects took place in two days. It wasn’t until much later that I learned that I also have a greater control over my powers than other reapers because of that same thing. Before I met with Aro, Death had made some comments about one of my parents being a Reaper and that was why he kept watch on me. It wasn’t until Charlie showed up at my door after our first little run-in that I knew which one,” my mouth runneth over because she was always so kind to me.

            “You didn’t know Charlie was a Reaper?” Emmett’s disbelief is shared by a few of the Cullen family.

            “I did not, but Rene did. That’s the real reason why she left him. They were sweethearts before he became a Reaper. After I was born, Charlie wanted to hide me from the world that seemed to hound his every step. He confessed to Rene about his true nature and she simply could not handle it. Charlie went rogue to try and keep me safe. Death didn’t expect Charlie to stay in one place, especially the place that meant so much to him, so Charlie lived undetected there until I left. Charlie said that his tie to me and Rene is what kept him from becoming like so many Reapers, a mindless follower of Death. The only way you can go rogue is if you have that kind of tie to the world outside of Reapers,” they seem to mull that over for a minute.

            “Why didn’t you come back when you went rogue?” Edward sounds so forlorn.

            “Death wants me, and Charlie, to join the ranks of the mindless. We have greater control and greater power reserves. We still have to help people meet their ends, but we do it in a different way now. We are more impulsive with our targets so that we become unpredictable to Death. I have to finish the job that I started though or else it will haunt me for the rest of my life. Marcus has to go. That was the last mission that Death gave me, to take out the Volturi for being ridiculous. I’m sure you saw Death hanging around for a long time after the Aro thing. I managed to hold out longer than he thought I would, so he left to look elsewhere. Good thing that I am not the only rogue he is searching for. It would be too dangerous for me to be with you guys. I won’t put you in that kind of position. Death, while completely idiotic, is a powerful enemy,” I knew he would ask me that, I had just hoped that he could let me go after I answered him.

            “What’s with the blood collecting thing?” Emmett looks like he was fit to burst.

            “Call it poetic justice, I guess. We only drain vampires and other immortals. Their blood is the most valuable to the mortals, so we keep it in check that way. A Reaper has power over blood and we can use it to do a lot, but you will have to take my word for it as I am not going to give you a show,” I give Emmett a knowing look to show that I really do know what he wanted to ask.

            “Awww,” Emmett whines.

            “Come on, be an adult for once,” Rose rolls her eyes, but grins just the same.

            “I have to hunt anyway, I guess,” all of their eyes are rather dark.

            “That would be a good idea for all of us to do, perhaps we should say goodbye for today,” Carlisle seems to know that this might be an uphill battle for him.

            “Will we see you tomorrow?” Alice sounds like a lost little girl.

            “I’m not planning on moving for awhile,” I respond.

            “Bella, if any of us were to decide that the risk was worth it, would you let us stay with you?” Edward asks quietly.

            “…maybe…” is all I can give him now. I don’t know for sure yet.

            “That’s enough for today, then. See you tomorrow,” Carlisle gives me a hug.

            The rest of the Cullen family follow suite and say their goodbyes, even Rose. She seems to like me better now, I wonder why. Both Alice and Edward give me puppy-dog eyes as they leave. They are really going to do their best to get me to agree to stay with them. I don’t know if I can hold my ground about the danger factor and I’m not entirely sure that I want to.


	12. Decision

**BELLA**

            What will I do? What should I do? I just don’t know. Seeing the Cullen family again made me realize how much I really and truly missed them. I should note, however, exactly how dangerous it would be for them to be around me. Ah, screw it. Sometimes a girl just has to follow her heart. If they really and truly talk about it and decide that they want to chance it, I will let them. Well, I might make them sweat a bit.

 

**EDWARD**

            “Why did we have to leave?” I demand.

            “You certainly were not making things go smoothly,” Rose snaps at me.

            “Rose has a point. You were a bit rough,” Alice agrees with her.

            “I can’t believe what I am hearing,” I stutter.

            “You can’t push Bella into doing what you want to do,” Carlisle interrupts me.

            “He can’t do _that_ anymore. Bella is most definitely her own person now. Where she might have caved in the past, now she holds her stand firm,” Rose huffs.

            “I think she would hold even firmer to her stand if you try to push your own ideas on her again,” Jasper adds his own two cents.

            “Surely you don’t suggest that I was overbearing,” I look at them all in turn.

            “We are saying you were overbearing, overprotective, and way too self-involved to think that she had any better ideas,” Rose will not back down.

            “That’s certainly true. You refused to be friends with her ‘for her own good’ and now that she did something for _your_ own good, you don’t like it,” I can’t believe that Jasper is taking sides.

            “We need to talk about the matter at hand. If Bella wants to, do we want to accept the risk of living and moving with her?” Carlisle brings us all back to the real topic.

            “Of course, did you see how AWESOME she was?!” Emmett voices his opinion first.

            “I…” I start.

            “We all know what you think. I like the new Bella, so I vote yes,” Rose interrupts me.

            “I’ve always thought of her as a sister,” Alice chimes in.

            “I think that the situation would be preferable to the other one, where Edward is all obsessed and depressed,” Jasper says dryly.

            “Bella is a part of this family,” Esme adds simply.

            “Then we have a consensus. Let’s hope that Bella’s thoughts will lead her to agreeing with us,” Carlisle ends that part of the discussion.

            “Hey, she might be immortal, but I think she still needs sleep. No one is heading over there before morning,” Alice points at me when I try to edge to the door.

            “But…” I whine.

            “You are not even allowed within sight of the street,” Rose narrows her eyes at me. When did they start teaming up against me?

            This night could not possibly any longer. The seconds feel like years. I finally found her. I know where my Bella is. Okay, so she’s different, but I can learn to accept that. I still love her. She still loves me. I just know that she does. She has to. And yet, here I sit waiting and watching the clock. We eventually decide to go hunting, but that does not distract me for very long.

 

**CARLISLE**

            “Hello, Carlisle,” Charlie greets me. He is sitting on a low branch of an oak.

            “Hi, Charlie,” I answer him.

            “I’ve been waiting for you,” he says simply. That’s Charlie, always to the point.

            “I gathered as much. What’s on your mind?” curiosity colors my tone.

            “Bella has isolated herself for so long that I think she might be in danger of letting her head overrule her heart. She loves Edward. Leaving Forks when she was changing was the hardest thing she has ever had to do because she loved him so much,” Charlie rambles.

            “Leaving you behind was hard too,” I assure him.

            “Yeah, I know. I just think you need to know that she did what she thought was right at the time. She didn’t know that I was a Reaper, guess I should have told her. I just didn’t want my life to affect her. Life in hiding from Death can be a hard thing to do. I know from experience. But while Death is easily annoyed, he is also easily bored. He only looked for me about a decade. Things will be different for Bella, though,” he seems to have lost himself in thought.

            “Why would they be different for her?” I have to ask.

            “Because she is the latest in a long family line of Reapers,” he informs me.

            “I take it that is unusual,” I can see why that would be.

            “To say the least,” Charlie says as he lands lightly on the ground.

            “Do you think Bella will want to live with us? You would be welcome too, of course,” I ask him what I really wanted to ask since I saw him waiting.

            “Oh, she wants to. Whether or not she will allow her heart to have its say and follow through is the real question. Who can say? Bella keeps her own council, but then you already knew that,” he looks at me like I am trying to trick him into something.

            “I suppose I did know that. I was just hoping to have some kind of sign for how things are going to go in the morning. Will she even still be there?” I sigh.

            “If she said that she would be there, then she will be there. If she did not say she would still be there, then it’s anyone’s guess, but she will have probably already moved on. Speaking of, it’s time for me to head off,” Charlie starts away.

            “See you soon, Charlie,” I respond.

            “Well, you will probably see me, but I’m not sure how soon it will be. Bye, Carlisle,” he grins as he vanishes.

            As I hunt, I think about what he said. Bella was concerned about our well being. That does not surprise me about Bella, but it is still a new thing. She stood by us when all she knew were the rumors about our adopted family being, well, loose with our morals. She still stood by us when she learned that we were vampires. I mustn’t forget that she even covered for us while she was in the hospital after that awful affair with James. We made the right decision earlier. Bella deserves our loyalty. Besides, we all love her as a part of our family anyway. This should prove to be a learning experience for us all.


	13. Together Again

**BELLA**

            Well, it has been a year since I reunited with the Cullen family. Things have gone…uh…interestingly, I guess. Life is certainly never dull. Emmett has made it his mission to try and surprise me. Working with Death was amazingly good training at anticipating Emmett’s moves. Who knew that would work out? I never really thought about how much alike Emmett and Death are. They are both like giant toddlers, fun at times but trying when they call the shots. The only thing funnier than Emmett trying to be sneaky is the look on his face when I end up surprising him, the poor guy never learns.

            Rose is the biggest adjustment for me. All that thinly veiled hostility is gone. She treats me just like a friend. Actually, we have become really close over the last year. Since I became a Reaper, I have really taken a no holds barred attitude in what I say. Rose is the same way. We get along very well despite that though, or maybe because of it. She told me about how she became a vampire. That is one awful story. It shed light on her attitude towards me while I was human though. If she could have chosen, she would not have changed. When I was willing to change into a vampire, it was like I was dismissing everything that she really held dear. But we are beyond that now and starting to freak Emmett and Edward out with our newfound fondness of each other.

            Jasper has taken to spending more time around me. Apparently being a Reaper makes me immune to all special talents vampires can possess. He is really relaxing with the void where my feelings would be. Alice gets so bored while Jasper and I talk about strategy and our respective training routines. I guess I never thought that my Reaper training would be so similar to the training a soldier goes through either. It’s nice to have someone to commiserate with. He even helps me train. I need to stay in shape, so to speak, just in case I ever need to utilize all my talents as a Reaper. Luck favors the prepared after all.

            Alice is very different. She absolutely _hates_ that she can’t see my future. She says there is a big hole where I should be. I don’t mind that so very much, I have to admit. For being such a free spirit, that pixie is sure uptight about being able to keep tabs on others. You just have to wonder sometimes. Aside from her extreme frustration that is at times hilarious and at other times annoying, things pretty much picked up where we left off. She is one of the best friends a girl can ask for. The only real downside is the fact that she drags me to stores all over the world feed her need for new clothes for every member of our family.

            Carlisle is a good guy to have around. I might be a Reaper, but I still can get injured. I’m not sure about catching anything, but injuries can be annoying. He is a very quick study and is more of an expert on Reapers and their medical needs than most Reapers are. Sure, sometimes the tests seem endless and the hours seem to drag buy at a glacial pace. I still like talking with him though. Carlisle is a really good listener. I was in no way surprised to find that out. I explained some of my life as a Reaper when he asked me. I think he just instinctively knows that I might need to talk to someone who is not Edward. Whenever Charlie is around, I prefer him because he actually knows what I’m talking about. But Carlisle is sympathetic and caring, so he is a good replacement when Charlie is not around.

            Esme has taken it upon herself to fill in for my lack of mother. I love her for it. She is just right, not too intrusive but still very caring. I took her completely by surprise when I whipped up a meal for Charlie and I the first time after we all came together again. I was a decent cook as a human, but with the time I have had since going rogue I have really taken to going to culinary schools all over. Even though Esme does not eat any food, she is forever in the kitchen with me helping out and chatting. It’s really…refreshing to have someone like Esme around.

            Edward has been tricky. I still love him and he still loves me, but the dynamic has changed. I’ve thought about it a lot and when I was human our relationship always leaned towards Edward. He was the big concern. He made all the real decisions without consulting me at all. He had all the power, so to speak. Now, we are more on an even playing field. I like the fact that we are equals in the relationship. Edward has had to adjust. Also, he is paranoid that I will vanish again. He is to the point of being clingy. We are working on that. I don’t want to kill him, but he is really starting to grate on my nerves. He follows me almost everywhere. I have yelled at him talked to him and yet he still is concerned. I guess I can understand that though, if he had left me I think I would have fallen apart and then a complete mess if and/or when he came back to me… But we have been married for almost a year for heaven’s sake!

 

**EDWARD**

            Life with Bella is exhilarating and frustrating all at the same time. She is really committed to being a family, but I have lingering concerns. Lately she has been irritable about me watching her. I understand the fact that we are two equal partners in our marriage. I get that. The thing is that she seems very secretive about the whole Reaper thing and that makes me more curious about it. That and, I would not be able to take her vanishing again. Is she planning on doing that? That would explain the cranky mood.


	14. Is That Possible?

**CARLISLE**

            Bella came to me saying that she was feeling off. We don’t know if she can really get sick as a Reaper, but we can’t be too careful. I’ve run some tests and the results should be along any minute. As if on cue, my darling Esme walks through the door with the file in her hands. The look on her face says that she read the results, but she does not know how to react.

 

**BELLA**

            “How sure are you?” I demand.

            “The test is positive. I think we should try another one,” Carlisle sounds calm. Damn him and his appropriate reactions.

            “I think you mean we are going to try many tests,” even I can tell how panicked I sound.

            “Of course, whatever will make you more comfortable,” he is so reassuring and I find that irritating too.

            “You can’t tell Edward or even think about it around him. Promise me,” he had better promise.

            “I will do my best,” he says confidently.

            “I guess that is the best that I am going to get,” I pout.

            Alice catches me in the hallway as I walk away from Carlisle’s office and the accursed test result. She wants to know what’s going on. I guess I am going to have to field that question a lot. The only good thing is that Edward is currently visiting the Volturi. They ‘requested’ a favor and he will be gone until tomorrow night. As much as I want the testing to be over by then, the good doctor is not making any promises. At least we have until then though. I assure Alice that I am not dying and make her promise not to make Edward suspicious. It would be so like him to ditch the Volturi and rush home.

 

**EDWARD**

            Something is going on. Even though I am in Italy and they are currently in New York, I can still tell that something is amiss. Bella sounded nervous when I talked to her on the phone. That is unusual. Bella hasn’t sounded nervous since I asked her to come to my house and meet my family. Carlisle acted very careful with what he was telling me. Did Bella see him on a professional need? Why would she need to see a doctor? Alice was also jittery. While she can be a bit flighty at times, I have never known her to be jittery. They are clearly hiding something. However, when I asked Bella if I needed to come home early, she fell all over herself trying to reassure me that all would be fine until I return. That makes me more suspicious. I will not stress out Bella any more than she already is, though. As she keeps reminding me, she is a big girl and can take care of herself. My family is there. If she needed help, she would ask for it.

 

**BELLA**

            Every. Single. Test. Every single test came out the same way. How am I going to tell Edward? How am I going to deal with this? I guess the direct approach is best. Carlisle is being very understanding. Of course he is. Carlisle always understands. The problem is, he does not know how to react. I don’t know how I feel about this and that puts the rest of the family in an awkward place. Edward flies in soon. I will go and pick him up. We will drive out of the city a ways. I will tell him then. This would be easier if I knew how I felt.

 

**EDWARD**

            Bella picked me up. I would have been able to get home pretty fast on my own. But one should never look a gift horse in the mouth. The drive is pretty quiet. She seems on edge. I will not push her. She will tell me whatever it is she ahs to tell me when she is ready. The suspense might kill me first, but I will not push. We pull over and walk into the forest a bit. She stops in a clearing with her back to me.

            “Edward, there is something that you should know,” she starts her big announcement.

            “You know you can tell me anything,” I strain for her to hear what I’m saying.

            “How would you feel if I told you that I was pregnant,” she sighs and refuses to turn around.

            “Pregnant?” I repeat stupidly.

            “Is that so terrible?” she finally faces me. Her expression is torn. She is torn about the news. Even in my stunned state, I realize that what I say next will have a big influence in her reaction.

            “I would feel happy,” I say decisively at the same moment that I realize I would be overjoyed really.

            “Would you?” she sounds skeptical. I go over and take her hands in mine.

            “It would be an amazing thing,” I assure her.

            “You are taking this better than I am,” she admits as she rests her head on my chest.

            “I didn’t know it was possible,” I admit.

            “I knew that Reapers could have children. I mean, look at the last several generations of my family. Most of those pregnancies happened after they became Reapers. I didn’t know about vampires though,” my Bella looks up at me.

            “I am just as surprised as you are,” I reply.

            “Carlisle thinks that vampire men can impregnate their mates, but vampire women cannot get pregnant because their bodies will never change,” she whispers.

            “Pregnancy is a big change for a body,” I agree.

            We pass a few hours just holding each other. Bella is pregnant. My Bella, the love of my eternity, is carrying my child. Rose must be livid. She will get to dote on the child though, so that might appease her. I will be a father. This will be an adventure, that’s for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Review if you please!


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